Microsoft Xbox Scorpio: Everything We Know So Far

PS4 Pro? Pah. Xbox One S? So 2016. We've seen the future of 4K gaming - and it's called Scorpio (at least for now).

Ok, so "seen" probably isn't the correct word, because while we actually know quite a lot about the specs of Microsoft's 4K gaming monster we have no idea at all what it looks like.

Other than the aesthetics, Microsoft's being uncharacteristically open about the design of Project Scorpio, and where there are gaps in the official announcements there are plenty of hints and rumours performing filling duty to keep our palms sweaty with excitement.

Want to know all the gory details? Read on.

WHAT WE KNOW

>>> It'll be seriously powerful

In a move that brought sighs of relief - and pants of excitement - from technology journalists everywhere, when Microsoft announced Project Scorpio it also announced the specs. Well, the important ones.

Six teraflops of computing power. Six. For context, the recently released PS4 Pro is packing 4.2 teraflops. Six, in a console, is mighty indeed.

So it's a monster - and it's a monster that's built to run 4K like a beast. Not upscaled-to-4K games. Native, hi-res, full frame-rate 4K games the likes of which have previously been the reserve of dedicated PC gaming rigs.

It'll do VR, too - proper VR, not the limited conversions we've seen so far. Xbox wants full, high resolution titles, built for VR that'll run like a dream on Scorpio.

No, it won't rival a properly expensive gaming PC - but it's set to be easily the most powerful console ever built. And, if Xbox head honcho Phil Spencer is to be believed, that's not going to change in development.

>>> It'll be priced like a console. A premium one.

There's been a lot of speculation about how much Project Scorpio will cost. Drawing on all of the comments made so far by senior Xbox and Microsoft figures, it seems most likely that Scorpio will set gamers back more than an Xbox One S and, possibly, the same or less than a PS4 Pro.

It's definitely being pitched as a premium product, for higher end gamers with the requisite kit and the desire to run a full 4K console setup. Whatever the price point ends up being, we know almost for certain that it'll be substantially less than a serious gaming PC.

>>> It's designed for developers as much as gamers.

Xbox is heavily pushing the angle that Scorpio is a product of what developers have asked for. More than one comment has been made by Phil Spencer about Scorpio's hardware not holding developers back, giving them the space to push the boundaries of 4K console gaming without limitation. It's even in the official promo video.

What does that mean for gamers? Well, if it works, it means a new future of gaming. Even if you're not running a 4K setup, you'll benefit from the vast power of Scorpio - and what it will allow game creators to do. Our only fear? The size of update downloads.

>>> It'll play nice with Xbox gear and games.

Xbox is at pains to emphasise that it isn't abandoning existing Xbox users. All games and peripherals will apparently be cross-compatible - though Xbox One S titles will presumably run at a lower resolution, perhaps upscaled, PS4 Pro-style.

What's more, Xbox has mentioned several times that it recognises users have different budgets and needs from their consoles, with every indication pointing towards the continued existence of the Xbox One S alongside Scorpio.

>>> It's coming next year.

At the end of the announcement video (which you can see above), after the great and good of the gaming industry had fawned over Scorpio's specs, appeared the text "Holiday 2017". No way out of this, then - Microsoft has committed itself to delivering Scorpio by Christmas next year.

But will it actually be called Scorpio? Almost certainly not. This is the development name of the console and those almost never stick. It's anyone's guess at this point what the final name will be, although we'd bet it's not going to be 'Xbox One Pro'.

ALL THE NEWS
How are we privvy to such a plethora of information? The Internet, that's how. The internet and lots and lots of time. Want to trawl through the sources on your own? Go ahead: they're all listed below.

In response to rumours regarding a possible specs downgrade, Phil Spencer Tweets to say that nothing has changed since the Scorpio launch announcement - suggesting that the next-gen console will still ship with the headline 6 teraflops of computing power.

> 09 December 2016

Microsoft executive Albert Penello appears on Major Nelson's podcast, says marketing 4K HDR consoles is very difficult, and involves an element of honest "fudging", in terms of specs and hardware processes.

> 07 December 2016

TechRadar reports that Project Scorpio will be priced like a console, not a gaming rig. Xbox Chief Phil Spencer says that they're aiming for a balance beteen performance and price - aided by the fact that Scorpio will be sold in a single spec.

> 14 November 2016

Levelup.com shares a YouTube video of Phil Spencer saying that scorpio will cost more than the Xbox One S, as it's being built as a "premium" product. He goes on to say that Scorpio will need to meet the demands of the "higher-end customer" which will mean a higher price.

> 21 September 2016

Albert Penello talks to Eurogamer, says Xbox won't dictate to developers how much of Scorpio's power should be used and whether games should run natively at 4K.

> 07 September 2016

Phil Spencer tells IGN that Xbox is still confident it will have the "most powerful console ever made" in Project Scorpio.

> 14 June 2016

Head of Xbox Phil Spencer talks to Wired, says Project Scorpio will essentially deliver the innovate experience associated with PC gaming, but in a console box, designed around what developers need to develop 4K games without limitation.

> 13 June 2016

Microsoft officially announces Project Scorpio, its new monster console. The company says all Xbox games and peripherals will be cross-compatible, whilst the new games machine will also be more than capable of 4K, VR gaming - courtesy of 6 teraflops of computing power.

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